The Case of the Disappearing PLO Mission Amendment

An amendment which would have shuttered the PLO mission in D.C. was dropped from the defense authorization bill that passed the Senate last week because of a technicality in Senate procedure, according to Sen. Lindsey Graham’s office, which sponsored it. “The amendment was not eligible for a vote because it was not technically germane to the legislation,” said Graham spokesperson Kevin Bishop.

Alana Goodman of Commentary reports that more than 400 amendments were filed on the defense authorization bill and debated for days. More than half were dropped, either because they were considered technically non-germane or overly contentious (the Obama administration threatened to veto the bill if the amendment was included), as senators sought to rush the bill out the door (approving it by unanimous consent) in order to focus on the fiscal cliff debate.